1. Field
The present application relates generally to the operation and design of wireless devices, and more particularly, to the design and operation of configurable transmitters for wireless devices.
2. Background
There is an increasing demand to have wireless devices capable of high quality transmission and reception while consuming low power. One key to achieving high quality is associated with the performance of the device's transmitter. For example, it is desirable to have a transmitter that operates efficiently over its entire output power range.
In existing transmitter designs, a baseband (BB) filter and upconverter are used to filter a baseband signal and up-convert the filtered signal to radio frequencies (RF) for transmission. Typically, both the baseband filter and upconverter are configured for Class-A operation across the entire output power range to meet stringent linearity requirements at maximum power. Unfortunately, at lower output powers, such as during typical talk-times in a wireless device, Class-A operation is very inefficient thereby reducing battery life. It is therefore desirable to have a more efficient transmitter for use in wireless devices.